Independent 8,239 / Radian

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It has been a while since I have blogged a Radian puzzle, and I haven’t solved enough of his to have got into any sort of rhythm. What’s more, Tuesday tends to be a day for a themed puzzle ….

I think that I have managed to solve this one correctly, although I need help with the parsing at 24. I am also not totally convinced of the definitions at 12 – & lit. maybe? – and 18, where I wonder if there has been a bit of “stretching” going on to get them to fit the theme of “points”. Perhaps I have missed something? Thanks to all concerned for your input and for pointing (!) out my various lapses.

In actual fact, I almost completed the whole puzzle without realising there was a theme. It was only when I noticed that a large number of clues contained the word “point(s)” that I looked more closely and saw the reference to 9 in various clues and the word “point” in the solution at 9. It was refreshing to have a theme built around the multiple definitions of a common word, testing vocabulary rather than general knowledge and thus being accessible to all solvers.

My favourite clue today is 26, for its economical construction and smooth surface.

 

*(…) indicates an anagram

Across    
     
1   STUPEFY ST (=good guy, i.e. saint) + UP (=ahead, i.e. in the lead) + <b>E<l>F<r>Y (“regulars eliminated” means alternative letters are dropped)
     
5   SCORING <a>SCO<t> (“central” means middle letters only) + RING (=enclosure)
     
10   GOAL G-AO-L (=nick, i.e. prison); “change of hearts” means middle letters   are swapped round; a (drop) goal is worth 3 points in rugby union, for   instance
     
11   ACHIEVABLE [A + B (=bishop)] in [A + *(VEHICLE)]; “clapped-out” is anagram indicator
     
12   APERÇU Hidden (“in”) in “newspAPER CU”; an apercu is a summary exposition, brief outline, hence “what’s the point” (=entry at 9)
     
13   TWINSETS T<ank> (“top” means first letter only) + WINS<l>ET’S (=Kate’s, i.e. English actress; “not large (=L)” means letter “l” is dropped)
     
14   ARGUMENTS *(MUGS AREN’T); “dressed” is anagram indicator
     
16   EGYPT E.G. (=let’s assume) + Y<our> (“start” means first letter only) + PT (=point)
     
17   MOCHA MO (=second, i.e. moment) + CHA (=tea)
     
19   PENINSULA *(SUN) in *(ALPINE); “variety” and “patchy” are anagram indicators; “what’s the point (=entry at 9) of land” is definition
     
23   STILETTO TIL (LIT=landed; “revolutionary” indicates reversal) in SET-TO   (=fight); a stiletto is a dagger with a narrow blade, hence “pointed arm”
     
24   FILL IN Double definition: FILL IN is (to) complete, e.g. form AND to point, i.e. add mortar, between courses, i.e. of bricks
     
26   PERTINENCE [ER (=first lady, i.e. the Queen) + TIN (=can)] in PENCE (=change)
     
27   GOOD GO<un>OD (=French composer, i.e. Charles-François Gounod); “lost   heart” means middle letters are dropped
     
28   USURPED URP (PRU=insurers, i.e. the Prudential; “returning” indicates reversal) in USED (=second-hand)
     
29   EDUCATE DUCAT (=money once) in E E (=points, i.e. of compass); the definition   is “(to) school”
     
Down    
     
2   TROOPER TROOP (POOR (=bad) + T (=time); “over” indicates reversal) + (h)ER (“husband (=H) left” means letter “h” is   dropped)
     
3   POLAR POLAR<is> (=the North Star); “is not visible” means letters “is” are dropped
     
4   FEATURE FEAT (=stunt) + URE (=river)
     
6   CREDIT Double definition: CREDIT is “tick” as in to buy on tick AND “result of points on (academic) course”
     
7   ROAD SIGNS *(ASS IGNOR<e>D); “missing English (=E)” means letter “e” dropped; “silly” is anagram indicator
     
8   NO LET-UP L<oos>E (“ends” means first and last letters only) in NOT UP (=down)
     
9   WHAT’S THE   POINT WHAT’S THE POINT, e.g. of life (=philosophical question)
     
15   UPHOLSTER [P (=quiet) + HO (=house)] in ULSTER (=province)
     
18   OUTLETS *(TO SU<b>TLE); “after bishop (=B)’s resignation” means letter “b” is dropped; “changes” is anagram indicator; definition is “(power) points”
     
20   INFIELD <l>INFIELD (=Belfast (football) team; “topping” means first (here top, as down clue) is dropped; “point here at   Old Trafford”, i.e. an infield fielding position in cricket
     
21   LAID OUT AID (=help) in LOUT (=yobbo); the definition is KO’d, i.e. knocked out, i.e. in boxing
     
22   STANCE Hidden (“held”) in “oldeST ANCEstors”
     
25   LOGIC L<EAs>   O<ffer> G<rant> I<n> C<ollege>; “heads of” means first letters only; the definition is “subject with arguments (=entry at 14)”
     

15 comments on “Independent 8,239 / Radian”

  1. Many thanks, RR, for a great blog of an interesting and enjoyable puzzle.

    I can’t believe I’m doing this – putting someone right on a football-related question! [I only know because I once lived in Belfast] – re 20dn: Linfield is a premier Belfast team, and, ‘topped’, it becomes INFIELD.

    Many thanks, as ever, to Radian for the fun.

  2. I too was a long way through this before I spotted the ‘point’ theme. But like you, RR, I thought the way it was woven into the puzzle without being a hindrance to solving it was a clever ploy by Radian. My favourite ‘point’ clue was the cricket-related one at 20dn, with the nicely misleading ‘point at Old Trafford’. ‘Kate’ in 13ac was a bit sneaky, but I did see it once I’d solved it.

    Can’t help with FILL IN, I’m afraid. But some soul will soon.

    Thanks to RR for the blog and to Radian for an entertaining puzzle.

  8. Thanks Radian for an enjoyable puzzle and RR for the blog.

    19ac: A slip of the fingers in the blog here – the second anagram lead is “patchy”.

    IanJ@6: You could twist 10ac to be a reference to soccer – the winning goal in a match could earn three competition points.

  11. I’ve just been minded to have another look at the solution to see if, given the theme, HUHNE and PRYCE are hidden somewhere, but I think not …

  14. Thanks to all above for plugging the gaps, and correcting the errors, in my blog.

    I would never have correctly read the wordplay at 20 since the team concerned is not on my radar. As for 24, I am kicking myself as I remember hearing my father talking about getting the house pointed when I was a child; that said, I didn’t know that one could refer to a line/range of bricks as a course. We live and learn!

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